Groups demand review of Government Center's condition

Tuesday

May 8, 2012 at 2:00 AM

GOSHEN — Groups advocating renovation of the Orange County Government Center called Monday for an independent review of the building's condition, arguing that a recently revealed federal report had damaged County Executive Ed Diana's credibility.

BY CHRIS MCKENNA

GOSHEN — Groups advocating renovation of the Orange County Government Center called Monday for an independent review of the building's condition, arguing that a recently revealed federal report had damaged County Executive Ed Diana's credibility.

Michael Sussman, an attorney and Democratic activist, held a press conference at his Goshen law office with other renovation supporters to demand the county Legislature set up an independent panel and hire an accounting or law firm to sift through a growing mass of data and reports on the closed Government Center.

The gathering was prompted by the Times Herald-Record's disclosure on Saturday of a report by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that wasn't shown to county lawmakers before they voted last week on Diana's $75 million plan to tear down and replace the Government Center.

FEMA specialists who studied the complex in January concluded that it sustained little storm damage last year and that poor maintenance had contributed to its deterioration. Their report disputed claims of extensive mold growth and said that few of the county's requested repairs would be eligible for reimbursement.

"The problem here now is how to make a decision without damaged credibility," Sussman said Monday.

He and his fellow activists also want an independent audit of information about the county's nursing home, which is on the verge of privatization. Diana has cut off funding for the Valley View Center for Nursing Care and Rehabilitation as of June 30, saying the county could no longer afford its rising cost.

Government Center plans are in limbo after lawmakers voted 11-10 on Thursday on Diana's proposal for a new building, which needed at least 14 votes for approval. The 42-year-old Government Center has been empty since September, when Diana closed it after Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

The county has proposed to sell Valley View to private operators for at least $18 million. Diana's office announced Monday that four prospective buyers had submitted bids before that day's deadline, and an hoc committee of administration officials and lawmakers will begin reviewing them Wednesday. A preferred buyer could be recommended to lawmakers as soon as this month.